Injury Management Specialist

**About the Department**

The department provides a wide range of learning and development support and services.

The department provides policy leadership, plans for the future of education in Victoria and leads key cross-sector collaboration. The department plays an important system steward role by providing support, guidance, oversight and assurance across early childhood and school education systems, as well as directly providing school education and 50 new early learning centres.

**About the Division**

The Employee Safety, Wellbeing and Inclusion Division (ESWI Division) is committed to the Department's vision to create healthy and safe working and learning environments for Department employees to thrive and succeed.

ESWID performs its functions through five branches that span from prevention, through to response and recovery, along with strategy, capability, advice and support. These teams adopt a holistic approach for supporting the health, safety, wellbeing and inclusion of our workforce across schools, central and regional offices. This includes Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Workers' Compensation policy advice and support, for both physical and mental health and wellbeing. The objectives of the Division are to:

- promote positive wellbeing in learning and working environments
- prevent against known and expected risks to health, safety and wellbeing
- respond swiftly and effectively to manage potential issues as they emerge and prevent injuries
- support employees to recover from injury and illness and return to work.

**About the Role**
The Senior Service Delivery Advisor - **Injury Management Specialist's**priority is to provide expert advice and support to Return to Work Coordinators (RTWCs) to facilitate safe and sustainable return to work outcomes for department employees injured at work. The incumbent will be instrumental in leading and shaping service delivery strategies, stakeholder management, and driving continuous improvement in the services provided. The role will primarily be working with Return-to-Work Coordinators, the departments insurance agent and occupational rehabilitation providers ensuring appropriate supports are in place for injured staff and their workplaces.

The purpose of this role is to:

- engage and build strong relationships and have ongoing communications with Department workplace managers (e.g. school principals), Return to Work Coordinators, the Department's Insurance Agent, Occupational Rehabilitation Providers and other internal and external stakeholders as required
- provide guidance, support and mentoring of Return-to-Work Coordinators within workplaces continuously improve workers' compensation performance, health and wellbeing of employees and workplace culture.
- promote sound and effective workers' compensation management practices across the Department. In particular, positively improving the performance and knowledge of all workplaces in workers' compensation injury management. This includes providing training, technical and legislative advice, injuries/claims and return to work guidance and strategies specific to the Department of Education policies and procedures
- write reports, analyse data and trends, report to management on region/portfolio and workplace performance and escalate issues as required
- contribute to the ongoing development, process improvement and training of effective workers' compensation management, policies, practices, strategies to improve employee health and wellbeing outcomes participate in projects designed to improve workers' compensation injury management practices and strategies.
- continuously improve workers' compensation performance, health and wellbeing of employees and workplace culture.

**Attributes**

The successful applicant must have a service focus and be able to demonstrate the public sector values of Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights.

**Desirable Qualifications and Experience**

The successful applicant must have a minimum of five years workers' compensation experience, return to work management and have a sound understanding of the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013.

Prior experience in mental injury management is desirable. This role may require travel across the region to undertake workplace visits therefore a current driver's licence in mandatory. A working with children's check is also required to attend onsite school visits.

This role requires attendance at the Department's CBD office in accordance with DE's Flexible Work Policy.

**Further Information**

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

**Applications close 11:59pm on 09-MAR-2025.